Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

102. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will address the shortage of staff and resources at the Tax Appeals Commission to ensure it can underpin a transparent and fair taxation system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30765/18]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Tax Appeals Commission (TAC) was established in March 2016 as part of the reform of the Finance (Tax Appeals) Act 2015. The vision for the new commission was that it would provide enhanced arrangements for an independent, efficient, well-defined, clear and transparent system for appeals relating to decisions of the Revenue Commissioners.

The Tax Appeals Commission (TAC) has received significant additional resources since its establishment - an increase from two Commissioners and 5 support staff at end 2016 to three Commissioners and 15 support staff in 2018. The budget for the Commission almost quadrupled between 2014, when the budget for the Office of the Appeals Commission was €477,000, and the agreed TAC budget for 2018 of €1.626 million.

The TAC has also recently moved to new office premises that afford both better hearing facilities to allow multiple hearings to proceed in parallel and more office space to accommodate increased staff numbers.

In February 2018, the Accounting Officer of the TAC submitted a request to my Department for significant additional administrative staff and resources to meet the increased caseload of the TAC. Granting this request would involve an effective doubling of the TAC’s budget for 2018 from €1.626 million to an estimated €3.226 million. This request includes extra resources for ICT and infrastructure in the TAC's new office space.

Due to the substantial increase in public resources being sought by the TAC, my officials requested further information to support the resource request to ensure that the proposed balance of administrative staff and the existing Commissioners would be effective in addressing that workload. The TAC informed my Department in early March of this year that they had commenced commissioning a review of their resources and operations. I am awaiting receipt of this report and, in the meantime, I have also commissioned an independent reviewer with significant experience of civil service bodies and operations to assess the current position and advise how best to address the TAC's resource needs going forward. This review has been expedited in order that resourcing decisions, based on a sound business case for the resolution of the current backlog, can be made as soon as possible.

I am conscious that an effective, transparent and fair tax appeals system for taxpayers is an essential aspect of any tax system. As Minister, I must ensure that the TAC is provided with the right resources so that it may best address the issues it faces and provide an effective, transparent and robust service for taxpayers. I expect to receive the reports from both reviews soon, and the recommendations from these reports will inform my decision making in relation to the Commission's resource needs.